Acclaimed Russian ballet dancer Vladimir Shklyarov, an outspoken critic of Russia’s war in Ukraine, has died at age 39 after falling from the fifth floor of a building.

The incident took place Saturday, a spokesperson for the Mariinsky Theatre confirmed to Russian news outlet Fontanka.

Shklyarov had been scheduled to undergo spinal surgery to treat a back injury and was taking “serious” painkillers, spokesperson Anna Kasatkina revealed. And while a federal investigation has been launched to investigate the dancer’s death, The Guardian, citing local media, reported that the “preliminary cause” has been ruled an accident.

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